Chapter 4

Shadow

Shadow could hear the sound of GUN vehicles approaching the home from a mile away. His heartbeat quickened, and his eyes went wide. He brought GUN here. If something happened to this household, it would be his fault. It would be his fault again if he failed to protect them.

It was Sunday morning, and he'd been playing a game called Monopoly at the kitchen table with Tom, Maddie, and the other adoptees. Tails was using his superior intellect to take advantage of the laws of probability, but Shadow wasn't far behind. Knuckles was in last place, and he was hating it.

Shadow saw Sonic's ears perk up, followed by Knuckles. They heard it too.

"What's wrong?" Tom asked, taking his eyes off of the board.

"Do you hear something?" Maddie said.

"I don't hear—oh, there it is," Tails said. "It sounds like GUN."

"It sounds like they brought an army," Knuckles said. He looked like he was mentally preparing himself for battle.

Shadow had hoped that GUN would cut their losses and leave him alone. But why would they? They still thought of him as a valuable resource, and he was a criminal now. He started doing calculations. Could he take them all out in his weakened state? Probably not. There were probably dozens of tanks and vehicles. What about Sonic and the others then? Perhaps, but they could be injured. He grit his teeth. It was his responsibility to solve this problem, and it was his job to protect this place.

"Okay, everyone just calm down," Tom said, holding out his hands to placate them. "GUN can't just open fire on civilians."

"They could if you're harboring a fugitive," Tails explained.

"Tom…" Maddie whispered, looking worriedly at her mate.

Shadow clenched his fists, standing up. Injured or not, he was going to do what needed to be done. "I'll take care of it," he said.

"No!" everyone yelled to his surprise.

"That's not a good idea," Tom said.

"People don't need to still view you as the enemy," Sonic said. He was gently holding out his hand again to settle Shadow down, as though he was a wild animal. It was irritating.

"Besides, we're a team," Tails reminded. "We take care of things together."

"What do you propose we do then?" Shadow asked. "I'm not going back to GUN."

"We're not going to ask you to do that, Shadow," Tom said. "Let's just try talking to them first."

A strong knock sounded from the front door. Everyone snapped to attention. Shadow closed his eyes tightly for a second.

"I'll get it," Tom said, standing up and heading to the door.

"I'm right there with you," Maddie said, following him. "Don't worry, Shadow. We've stood up to Eggman before. We're not letting GUN intimidate us."

Shadow was impressed by their resolve. "Should I hide, or should I show myself?"

"You should probably hide and only reveal yourself if you have to," Tom said.

"I like that plan," Maddie seconded.

Shadow sprinted behind the kitchen island. His speed made it look more like teleportation.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wachowski?" a woman asked as Tom answered the door. Shadow recognized the voice as Director Rockwell.

"Yes?" Tom asked. "How's it going?" Shadow could hear the faux friendliness in his voice.

"By any chance, would there happen to be a black and red hedgehog here?" she asked. "Specifically, a black and red hedgehog that nearly destroyed the entire world?" Obviously, she already knew the answer.

"Hm, a red and black hedgehog?" Tom asked, feigning confusion. "Like the one we saw on TV?"

"We know he's here, Mr. Wachowski," Rockwell said. "That hedgehog is still considered property of GUN. He's also a dangerous criminal."

"You can look around the house, but he's not here," Maddie said flippantly.

Maddie knew that Shadow could run, and that they'd never catch him. Then he could just come back to the house like nothing happened.

"That's not good enough, Mrs. Wachowski," Rockwell said. "We know how fast Shadow is. We'll search your house and set up these traps around your property."

Shadow couldn't see which traps she was talking about, but he heard bursts of electricity. They must have been designed specifically for him. Shadow frowned.

"Do you have a warrant?" Tom asked hesitantly.

"Of course," Rockwell said. "I'm also going to have to insist that you tell us where the hedgehog is. If you don't, you're going to be charged with aiding a fugitive."

"Wait, you can't just barge in here!" Sonic said. "We saved the world!"

Shadow was done letting Tom and Maddie take the fall for him. Whether they were in physical or legal danger, he was going to protect them.

In a snap, Shadow was standing between the Wachowskis and Rockwell. He saw that there was group of armed soldiers behind her. Behind them, there were multiple armored vehicles on the driveway, grass, and street. They didn't have any emergency lights—probably because they didn't want to attract any more attention than necessary. Shadow grabbed the electric wire trap from Rockwell and chucked it into the yard. His red energy came alive and sparked over his body.

"I'm only going to say this once," Shadow said. "You will leave and never come back, or you will regret it." His rage bubbled to the top, and his eyes were sparking. "If you choose to fight me, or you choose to harm this family in any way, I will make you pay for it."

Rockwell swallowed.

"Not so fast, Shadow," another feminine voice sounded.

To the family's surprise, another alien creature revealed itself. She came out from behind the soldiers. Shadow was looking at what appeared to be a bat girl. She was three-and-a-half feet tall with devilish wings and large ears. She was also dressed in black leggings and a magenta blouse.

"Wachowski's, meet GUN's new agent, Rouge," Rockwell introduced.

"I was hired to help defend them from you," Rouge explained, flipping her wrist in a sassy gesture. "Believe me, I'm capable of doing so."

It was then that Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails rushed to the door to provide backup.

"We're happy to meet you, Rouge," Sonic said sarcastically. "We understand that you have a job to do, but I have to assure you that everything is okay."

"What's 'okay' about harboring the alien that nearly destroyed the entire Earth?" Rouge asked.

Maddie put her hands on her hips. "You should ask GUN a similar question, Rouge. It is entirely their fault that this happened at all. GUN is responsible for getting Maria killed, imprisoning Dr. Gerald, and freezing Shadow for 50 years. If it hadn't been for GUN, Shadow and Dr. Gerald would have never sought revenge."

Tom looked at Maddie with surprise, and then he smiled. "I always knew I married a smart one." He turned back to GUN. "She's right you know."

Rouge frowned and suddenly looked uncertain. "Director Rockwell, is this true?"

Rockwell's mouth twitched with irritation. "I'm not at liberty to say, but it doesn't matter. What GUN did or didn't do has nothing to do with Shadow's attempt at genocide."

Shadow rolled his eyes. "I'm not discussing this. Leave or I'll make you leave."

"We'll make you leave," Knuckles said, pounding his fists together.

Shadow, Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails formed a wall in front of Tom and Maddie.

Director Rockwell looked them up and down. "Men, we're done here," she said before turning and leaving.

Rouge gave them a last look before following her.

Tom shut the door behind them. They all watched from the windows as the GUN vehicles left the property one by one.

"They've ruined the yard," Maddie said disappointedly as she stared out the window.

"Better the yard than us," Toms said, putting his hand on her back.

"Maddie, that was awesome!" Sonic yelled. "You really showed them."

Maddie giggled nervously. "Well, you know, it was all their fault. This whole thing could have

been avoided 50 years ago if they weren't so incompetent."

"Maddie, thank you," Shadow said, looking up at her.

She smiled brightly. "I'm here for you, Shadow."

"Well, as long as I'm here, I'll make sure you won't regret letting me stay," Shadow assured.

Thank you so much for all the reviews! They are such a treat to read.

Welcome to the story, Rouge.

Yes, I'm serious about taking requests. I'll try to throw the nightmare/comfort request in this story.

I wish we could have seen more of Maria and Shadow's friendship.